Given the significant volume of capital that will be required to develop the space resource industry, it is important to understand the fundamentals and drivers of funding in this growing industry. This article distills a series of 30 interviews with individuals representing different aspects of the space resource funding ecosystem—including entrepreneurs, corporate employees, brokers, academics, government and agency personnel, investors, and advisors—to examine and report on the current state of space resource sector funding, including identifying key partners and examining current regulation and legislation. The results of this research are intended to be used as a lens through which to understand the current state of funding within the space resource sector and to help observers interpret certain actions on the parts of individuals and companies operating in the industry.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ZhaoY. Space commercialization and the development of space law. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Oxford University Press: Oxford;, 2018; doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190647926.013.42.
2.
SalettaMS, Orrman-RossiterK. Can space mining benefit all of humanity? The resource fund and citizen's dividend model of Alaska, the “last frontier.”. Space Policy, 2018; 43:1–6; doi: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2018.02.002.
3.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Space 2030: Exploring the Future of Space Applications. OECD Publishing: Paris; 2004.
4.
GeorgeK. The economic impacts of the commerical space industry. Space Policy, 2019; 47(3):181–186; doi: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2018.12.003.
AtkinsS.The commercialization of outer space: How an international securities framework can be the launching pad for a global space economy. Int Corporate Rescue, 2022; 19(3).
8.
DePagterM.“Who dares, wins”: How property rights in space could be dictated by the countries willing to make the first move. Chicago J Int Law, 2023:116–133.
9.
FosterC. Excuse me, you're mining my asteroid: Space property rights and the US Space Resource Exploration and Utilization Act of 2015. Univ Ill J Law Technol Policy, 2016; 2:407–430.
DejonckheereMV. Semistructured interviewing in primary care research: A balance of relationship and rigour. Fam Med Commun Health, 2019; 7(2):e000057; doi: 10.1136/fmch-2018-000057.
12.
AlshenqeetiH. Interviewing as a data collection method: A critical review. English Linguistics Res, 2014; 3(1):39–45; doi: 10.5430/elr.v3n1p39.
13.
HargieOT.Auditing Organizational Communicaton: A Handook of Research Theory and Practice. Routledge: New York, NY, USA; 2009.
14.
GlaserB, StraussAL. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Aldine De Gruyter: Hawthorne, NY, USA; 1967.
von SoestC. Why do we speak to experts? Reviving the strength of the expert interview method. Perspect Polit, 2022; 21(1):277–287; doi: 10.1017/S1537592722001116.
17.
U.S. Congress. National and Commercial Space Programs. Public Law 111–314. 111th Congress; 2010.
U.S. Congress. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act. Public Law 114–90, 114th Congress; 2015.
20.
DavidianK. The beginning of new markets. New Space, 2019; 7(3):117–119.
21.
LivniEK.The Space Industry Is Taking Off. Space Law Is Still a Mystery. New York Times; June 17, 2023.
22.
MaidenbergM.Space companies struggle to meet lofty goals. Wall Street J August 5, 2023.
23.
United Nations. Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA); 1966. Available from: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html [Last accessed: January16, 2023].
24.
JohnsonCD. The Outer Space Treaty. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Oxford University Press: Oxford;, 2018; doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190647926.013.43.
HaoLT. The American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act of 2017: The latest step in regulating the space resources utilization industry or something more?. Space Policy, 2018; 47:1–6; doi: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2018.02.004.
30.
CahanBB. Outer frontiers of banking: Financing space explorers and safeguarding terrestrial finance. New Space, 2016; 4(4):253–286; doi: 10.1089/space.2016.0010.
